


Staring at the Sun

by aleclightwoodisbetterthanyou (bowtiewontlie)



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, F/F, M/M, Simon is a Mess, also I'm terrible at titles, and apparently at tagging, everyone is super soft and smiley, this world is so much less harsh than the world of the show
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-13 02:43:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9102940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bowtiewontlie/pseuds/aleclightwoodisbetterthanyou
Summary: Simon has just gotten a job at Java Jace through his best friend Clary, who is dating the owner's sister. On his first day, the most attractive man Simon has ever seen walks in and Simon basically turns into a hot mess.August asked for a coffee shop AU. I hope this lives up to your expectations!





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [foggynelson](https://archiveofourown.org/users/foggynelson/gifts).



> Beta'd by the lovely Bern ([ @tothebitterbetterend](http://tothebitterbetterend.tumblr.com) ) from the [Shadowhunters Beta Net](http://shadowhuntersbetas.tumblr.com).

Starting a new job without any sort of application or interview process is... weird, to say the least. Simon didn’t really know what to expect. He was pretty desperate, though, and according to Clary, so was Java Jace. So when she’d asked if there was a position available for him, they had told her yes, no questions asked. (It probably didn’t hurt that she was dating the owner’s sister.)

Luckily, his first shift was scheduled for the same time as Clary’s, so she could show him the ropes. She taught him how to use the cash register, how to run the espresso machine, and the proper ratio of milk to espresso for lattes, cappuccinos, and macchiatos.

Things were going pretty smoothly until about 2 hours into his shift when a gorgeous blonde in a tight black T-shirt walks in and Simon spills coffee all over the counter because he’s staring. The man looks like he’s slightly taller than Simon, his chin-length hair flipped to one side to reveal his undercut. And those eyes that are locked on Simon’s, one is btho blue, the other half blue, half brown. He is quite possibly the most gorgeous person Simon has ever seen in his life.

And… he’s staring at Simon. Probably because Simon is staring right back instead of cleaning up the mess he made and handing the coffee he’d been pouring to the customer he’d been pouring it for.

Which, yeah, he should do that.

Simon tears his eyes away from the blonde and grabs a towel, wiping down the mug first and handing it off to the customer who ordered it with a brief apology.

When he starts wiping down the counter, he chances a look up to see that the man is talking softly to Clary, who is pulling a pastry from the case next to her. He’s leaning slightly against the counter, smiling with perfect white teeth and the left side of his mouth is higher than the right and Simon’s always had a weakness for crooked smiles.

As if sensing he’s being stared at again, the blonde turns back toward Simon, but Simon quickly looks down at the mess he’s cleaning up. He focuses really hard on the counter, making sure to clean up every last drop and then grabbing a clean rag and doing it all over again.

He’s so focused on not looking in the direction of the register, that he actually jumps when Clary touches his shoulder.

“It’s just me,” she says with a laugh. “You alright?”

“Of course,” he says, “What’s up? You need me to make something?”

Clary smirks at him. She knows him too well to believe his lies. She doesn’t call him out on them, though, for which he’s grateful. Instead she tortures him some more. “Actually, yes,” she says innocently, “Can you make a medium Americano and bring it over to the blonde guy in the corner.”

She points to the corner and Simon already knows who it’s going to be before his eyes land on the gorgeous man sitting in the corner reading a book and munching on a pastry. “You bet,” Simon squeaks out and then clears his throat. “I mean, yeah, no problem. One medium Americano coming up.”

He takes a deep breath and gets to work, following the steps Clary showed him earlier and decidedly not thinking about the man sitting across the coffee shop, with whom Simon is going to be face-to-face in a few moments.

Once the coffee is finished, Simon steels himself and walks slowly and carefully over to the corner. He’s got this. It’s not that hard. Just drop off the coffee and walk away.

He sets the coffee down with a smile. “One American mediano.” His smile falters. “Mediano Americano – ahem— medium Americano.”

He can feel the flush spreading across his cheeks as the man looks up from his book and gives him that crooked smile. “Thanks, Simon,” he says and Simon’s head starts spinning, wondering, have they met before? How and why does this insanely attractive man know his name? There is no way Simon could have forgotten someone that gorgeous. Unless he did something embarrassing that he blocked it from his memory. Oh God, what did he do?

He must be gaping awkwardly because the smile turns into a smirk. And then the man is moving, reaching a hand up toward Simon’s chest and Simon’s heart feels like it’s going to beat itself right out of his body. The hand stops and there’s a light tapping, on the plastic name tag attached to Simon’s apron.

Simon feels the flush deepen as he releases the breath he didn't realize he was holding. “Right,” he squeaks out and then clears his throat, “Can I get you anything else?” he manages to get out without stuttering.

“I’m good for now, thanks,” he says and that smile is back.

Simon swallows and nods and then deliberately does not run back to the counter where Clary is standing, clearly biting her lip in an attempt not to laugh at him. Instead of stopping there, he keeps walking through to the back room, followed closely by Clary.

When the door swings closed behind them, Simon collapses half onto the table, groaning loudly. “That was so embarrassing.”

“It’ll be fine, Simon,” she says reassuringly, but he can still hear the smile in her voice, so he glares up at her. “The first time you meet someone that good-looking, you’re always a mess. I mean, do you remember when you met Izzy?”

Simon groans and buries his face in his arms.

“Exactly, and you already knew I was dating her.” Clary runs her hand through his hair. “Tomorrow will be better, I promise.”

Simon shoots up then, giving Clary a wide-eyed look. “He’s going to be back tomorrow?”

Clary raises an eyebrow at him. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Oh my God, he’s going to be here every day I work for the rest of time, isn’t he?”

Clary shrugs noncommittally, “I mean, probably? He tries to at least stop by every day, just to--” but she doesn't finish her sentence because she's interrupted by the chime that goes off when someone opens the front door. 

The Pavlovian response from Clary is immediate and she gets to the door before she remembers Simon. She turns back to him. “One more minute of wallowing, then it's back to work. Jace will never trust me again if you have a complete breakdown on your first day.” Then she gives him a reassuring smile and walks through the door to see who just walked in.

Simon takes a few deep breaths. He reminds himself that it's just a guy. He might look like a Greek God, or Captain America, but he's just a normal guy. Simon can handle this. Plus, it's possible the chime they heard was the totally normal guy leaving, right?

Wrong. 

When Simon walks back through the door, he immediately looks to the corner and sees the gorgeous blonde looking at him over the top of his book. Simon quickly looks away and walks over to Clary to see how he can help.

He spends the next half hour wiping down tables and refilling coffees and trying not to look at the man in the corner because every time he looks, the man is looking right back at him. Simon would almost think he was staring, except guys who look like that do not stare at guys who look like Simon.

Finally, the man packs up his book and brings his plate and empty coffee mug to the counter. “Bye Clary,” he calls out, “see you tomorrow!”

“Bye! Have a good night!” she calls out from the back.

He turns and locks eyes with Simon. “See you later,” he says with a smile.

Simon nods. “Have a good one,” he manages to say without squeaking and he's so relieved by that that he actually manages to smile, too.

The blonde’s smile grows even bigger and he gives Simon a little wave before walking out the front door and down the street a little ways.

When Simon sees him get into a black car and drive off, he sinks down into a chair at the table he was cleaning. He feels all the tension of the last 45 minutes drain out of him and he is exhausted.

A minute later he hears the door to the back room swing open and feels Clary’s eyes on him.

Before she can say anything, he takes a deep breath and stands up, finishing wiping off the table and then walking back to the counter.

He plasters a smile on his face and asks Clary, “What's next, boss?”

She smiles at him softly. “Take your 15,” she says, “and when you get back, I'll show you how to clean the espresso machine.”

“Can’t wait,” he tells her and smiles genuinely this time. He’s so lucky to have a best friend like Clary who knows exactly how he’s feeling and what he needs.

The rest of their shift is pretty uneventful. Clary teaches him the proper way to clean things and how to shut everything down at the end of the night. She keeps him distracted by quizzing him on the different coffees they carry and the proper way to make certain drinks. 

Overall, she does a good job of keeping his mind off the blonde-haired man with his gorgeous eyes and his crooked smiles. And if she notices him drifting off every once in awhile, remembering the way those muscles moved when he waved goodbye or imagining the feel of that solid chest against his own, she doesn’t say anything, just asks him another question.

\-- 

The next day, Simon is determined not to make a fool of himself when the gorgeous blonde shows up. He vows to keep his staring in check and to actually find out what his name is so he can stop calling him “the gorgeous blonde”. He figures if he's going to be seeing the guy pretty much every day, he needs to get a handle on his obvious crush, or at least try to make it a little less obvious.

So with a new outlook, a will of steel, and Clary at his back, he pushes open the door to the coffee shop and walks in approximately 4 steps before freezing. 

Clary runs into his back. “What the hell, Simon,” she says and then sidesteps around him, grabbing his arm to pull him along to the back room.

What the hell, indeed. Not only is the gorgeous blonde already there, he's standing behind the counter wearing a white apron with a nametag attached, handing a to-go cup to a lady in a power suit. How did Clary not tell him the guy works here? 

And then the lady in the power suit turns to walk away and suddenly those eyes are on Simon again. There are words being spoken, the guy and Clary exchanging hellos, but Simon can’t hear them over the sound of his heart pounding in his chest. 

Clary tugs his arm again and he's pulled out of his stupor. “C’mon,” she says, “Izzy’s waiting for us in the back and she’s gotta leave for class in 10.”

Simon nods absently but his eyes are still locked on the man behind the register. 

When he doesn’t move, Clary gives him a sharp pull, breaking his stare and pulling him the rest of the way into the back room.

He’s still sort of in a daze when Izzy greets them, throwing her arms around Clary and kissing her on the cheek with a, “Hey sweetheart!” She looks at Simon and then back at Clary. “What’s wrong with him?”

“What do you think happened?” Clary says with a short laugh. “I warned you this was going to happen.”

“Oh man,” Izzy says and now she’s smiling, too. “Oh, Simon, you poor thing. You are totally in love with my brother, aren’t you?”

This accusation startles Simon out of his daze. “Alec?” he asks, confused. “No way! I mean, he’s good looking and all, and super nice, but Magnus could murder me nine different ways with a spoon. And actually, so could Alec, probably.”

“I didn’t mean Alec,” Izzy says and she looks up as the door opens behind Simon. He turns slowly and there stands the gorgeous blonde man and Izzy says, “Simon, have you met my brother, Jace?”

Simon’s eyes go wide and he feels a little bit like he’s going to faint as he stutters out, “J-Jace? As in, Java Jace?”

The man in question just gives Simon that big crooked grin and sticks out his hand, “Jace Lightwood, owner of Java Jace.”

Simon’s mind goes blank but he grabs Jace’s hand and starts shaking. “Lewis. Simon. Simon Lewis. Two first names. But you already know my name. And I’m totally going to kill Clary for not introducing us yesterday before I made a complete fool of myself, which I know, I’m totally doing again right now. I should probably stop shaking your hand.” He drops the hand and backs up a bit, running into the counter behind him.

Jace just laughs. “It’s nice to officially meet you, Simon,” he says and the way he says Simon’s name should be a sin with how sexy it sounds.

Simon swallows roughly and then notices that Clary and Izzy are inching toward the door. “Clary?” he asks, trying not to sound desperate.

“I’ll be right back,” she says with a reassuring smile. “I’m just going to walk Izzy to her car.”

Simon nods and watches her go, trying to steady his heartbeat.

As soon as the door closes behind them Jace says, “Ten bucks says they’re going to make out in Izzy’s car.”

Simon laughs and suddenly it’s like the tension is broken. He can look at Jace and see a regular guy. A ridiculously hot regular guy, but a regular guy nonetheless. Somehow him making a joke about Clary and Izzy just made him more human. “I would be an idiot to take that bet.”

Jace smirks, “So, you’re not an idiot?”

“No.” Simon scowls at him.

“Good to know,” Jace says and then they’re both laughing.

After their laughter dies down Jace looks at him with soft eyes and a bright smile. “So you’re the infamous Simon, huh?”

“Oh God, infamous?” Simon does not want to know what Jace already knows about him.

Jace laughs again. “I’ve heard stories,” he explains, “most of them good. And then there’s the one about the first time you met Izzy.”

Simon buries his face in his hands. 

“You’re cute when you’re embarrassed,” Jace says and Simon’s brain grinds to a halt, because that can’t be flirting. Jace is not flirting with him.

But Jace is giving him that smile again and Simon can’t help but smile back.

“Listen,” Jace says, suddenly serious. “I have to preface this by saying your answer will in no way affect your job here, and if you say no I will back off and never bring it up again, but, do you want to get a drink with me sometime?”

Simon doesn’t get a chance to answer because the chime on the front door goes off and Jace goes to check it out.

He comes back a second later. “It was just Clary coming back.”

Simon blinks at him for a second and then asks, “Like a date?”

Jace chuckles. “Yeah, like a date. If you want. Or not, if you don’t want.”

“Yes,” Simon says. 

“Yes we can go? On a date?” Jace is smiling and it makes the corners of his eyes crinkle up.

“Yes. We can go on a date. For drinks. Or whatever. That would be great.”

“Great,” Jace says, and then he’s untying his apron and slipping it over his head. Simon just stands there as Jace walks into the little office he has in the very back. When he comes back out he has a piece of paper and he hands it to Simon. “Here’s my number,” he says, “text me later.”

“Okay,” Simon agrees, and then smiles, staring down at the paper in his hand.

“I have to go now,” Jace tells him, “but I’ll talk to you later, alright?”

Simon nods and then suddenly Jace is hugging him. His firm chest pressed right up against Simon’s, his strong arms wrapped all the way around him. Simon’s arms come up automatically and he breathes in past the scent of coffee and pastries to the smell of citrus and something earthy. 

Jace pulls back after a second and if Simon didn’t know better, he would think the other man was blushing. “Sorry, that was super weird,” he says and then laughs a little as he walks over to the door. “I’ll talk to you later, Simon.”

“Bye, Jace,” Simon says and there’s that grin again, and that little wave right before he pushes open the door and walks out.

Simon stands there for a minute just trying to wrap his head around what the hell just happened. His heart is still racing and there is this bubbly feeling in his chest that feels like it would be manic laughter if he let it out. He has to pinch himself to make sure he’s not dreaming. Jace Lightwood gave Simon his phone number. Jace Lightwood thinks he’s cute when he’s embarrassed. Jace Lightwood asked him on a freaking date.

And then Clary calls him from up front and he quickly ties up his apron to get to work. The grin doesn’t leave his face for the rest of the day.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at writing from Simon's POV, so hopefully it's alright. I actually kind of want to continue this, but goodness knows when I'll have the time.


End file.
